6349/Watch - Training Day

Watch - Training Day
Date of Scene:	14 February 2019
Location:	The Shrine of Adversity
Synopsis:	Members of the Watch take part in some light training against each other.
Cast of Characters:	August Kohler, N'raha Tia, 6381, Deelel, Leyanne Mace, Inga, Yang Xiao Long, Sanary Rondel, John Rizzo

---

August Kohler has posed:
DAYTIME

The forest air is crisp and clean, as there's a massive clearing in the woods, from around the bristling trees and sounds of wildlife. In the middle of this clearing is a campsite, where a fire has been set up, and spaces for sparring have been cleared, as well as some gym equipment dragged out into the woods for...some reason. It's a big enough area for a dragon to fit in. The wind is nice and cool, the sun is high in the sky...

And you're also not, sadly, actually in a forest this perfect. Well, for some who might hate the sun, not 'sadly', since this sun is fake. The Shrine of Adversity is a perfect place for a training where August wants to actually let loose a little and try dangerous and insane things that might kill someone otherwise. He considered an actual forest training meeting, but one of the Watch 'assistants' he pitched it to told him 'you know, we pay for the Shrine for a reason...' and August just sort of blankfaced.

August Kohler sits at the fire, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, a sweater wrapped around his waist. The redhead has signed the group in under the East Multiversal Athletic Club, a private athletic club full of eccentric and skilled Multiversals. The fact that a bunch of them are probably terrorists should be paid no mind.

Among the gym equipment are several boulders. They're massive, and actually weigh a ton, making them only for the super strong to move. Besides them are smaller, but still very heavy, rocks. There's a reason for this, though.

As people filter in, August starts off the meeting. "Welcome, 'East Multiversal Athletic Club', to our training day. I have some stuff littered around, places to spar, can start something if anyone's out of ideas, you know, the works. If you don't know your compatriots, get to know each other!" He seems genuinely cheerful, though he whispers, "I'm not sure if they're actually listening but I'm playing it safe for at least the first five minutes."

"Part of why I set this up, slightly so selfishly, is that I've gained some new abilities, and wanted to try them out. But I thought...why not make it a group activity? A bunch of you have cool abilities you might want to show off, or practice, or just beat each other up, so, why not?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Oh man, did August know? Did he suspect a thing? Because Raha is here and he's totally eying up those bolders. Like, super hard eyeing up. Like... tail twitching.

    That said, the catman is here in his casual get up, the sweater and jeans, his black hair slicked back into a pony tail that's fluffy like his tail. "I mean, I'm up for that, definately. I know I've wanted to meet a bunch of you guys anyways and this is a great spot for it."
    His ears flick up as he pokes himself in the chest with his thumb. "I'm Raha of the Clan N', Warrior of Light, from Hydaelyn. It's nice to meet a bunch of you in person, finally."
    b o u l d e r s

Nova Terra (6381) has posed:
    Blue light washes over a spot above a log as Nova decloaks, sitting on said chopped tree. Deja vu. Well, at least we can be sure sure wasn't followed to this secret not-secret meeting of exercise enthusiasts.

    Nova gives a two-finger wave as she introduces herself, for those few who don't know, "Nova Terra. Ghost. From the Terran Dominion."

    Nova leans forward a little, eyeing August, "So you got new abilities, huh? Like what?"

Deelel has posed:
Deelel didn't hate the sun now she kind of liked it but when she first arrived in the Multiverse she thought something was exploding in the sky and she was about to die given her own world was one of endless night. She arrives no clad in her more 'human' styled clothing. She was hesitant to come but still as an act of good faith. She was also troubled by the events of the day before, memories of the mad security program McAfee drifted into her mind, shaking it off she smiles a bit.

"Ah so you are like me after Dual Disc picked me to be its weidler."

As more people arrive she grins.

"Greetings!"

She pauses for a moment looking to Nova nodding.

"Oh right, I'm Deelel a multimedia program from a world known as the Grid."

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne steps up to the group with a cheerful wave, carrying what seems to be a large double bass, in a case. "I'm Leyanne if you don't know me already." the 8ft mouse introduces herself. "Most people call me Tiny. I'm from Mars via London"

She sets down the case and flicks the catches, revealing... a fake double bass. It's a pretty good fake, to be fair, but underneath it, there's a huge machine gun with the name 'MA DEUCE' scrawled on the side. She doesn't actually take the gun out of its case, merely getting it within easy reach, should someone want to spar with her.

She wanders up to the training equipment, selecting one of the smaller pairs of boulders linked with a bar- only a quarter of a ton - and prepares to bench-press them. To warm up, presumably.

Inga has posed:
Inga is not exactly the type of person one would expect to show up to anything called, even jokingly, an athletic club. All the same, she's here anyway. She rides into the clearing astride a beautiful grey horse wrapped in a fur lined cloak, a walking staff set across her knees. A long plait of white hair hangs over one shoulder, her hazel eyes widening slightly at the number of people already arrived to this gathering.

She raises a brow at Raha's eager expression, following his eyes to the big boulders...oh, he's looking forward to showing off. She rolls her eyes, but chuckles. Next, she bows her head somewhat to August.

"Greetings. I am Inga Freyjasdottir, wisewoman of Uppsala. I'm here to...well, watch, and patch anyone up if necessary," she says, flashing a quick smile.

She'll wait until others have full attention before she slides with some difficulty down from her horse, grabs her walking stick, and limps toward a convenient stump to sit upon.

Soon she has a pot of tea and a cup to drink it out of. From somewhere.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang's pretty much been living in the Shrine for the last few months, and when she caught wind of the training day, she changed her venue and came swinging by. She's wearing a different outfit to normal.

    Still sporting her usual swagger she nods to people, digs others in the arm with a chuckle, then gives a half-salute to August when she spots him. "So... who wants to go a couple 'rounds with the Golden Girl herself?" she asks in general, deploying her gauntlets then doing some stretches.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
The opportunity to do dumb, dangerous, and potentially lethal things minus the risk of actual death and dismemberment is like music to Sanary's ears. She's let loose a few times before, sure, but there's always been that nagging worry that someone important/with a name she recognizes could actually get hurt.

In the Shrine of Adversity, however, that isn't so much of a problem. Besides, how could she turn down a request for training help? It'd look bad if she said no! Thus, the white-clad axe healer is here, donning...

... A plainer gray coat, a yellow t-shirt, and sweatpants with a thermos wedged clumsily into her pocket. She's heard it was an Atheletic Club, after all, so going all out with a fancy coat would just make her look like an asshole. What she wasn't expecting, however, was all the familiar faces!

Weird coincidence. "Hey there. Name's Sanary Rondel, come to me if you pull somethin' or crack your head on something hard!" She grins broadly and raises a hand in a stiff greeting, peering a bit at N'raha, Inga, Yang, and Deelel alike. "Huh. You all helpin' with this club, too?"

Inga has posed:
Inga raises her teacup to the fellow healer. "Here to fill the same function it would seem. Nice to see you Sanary, you are welcome to sit by me," Inga greets from her perch.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raha smiles a bit as he shuffles up to his feet, dusts off his pants, and grins. "Something like that, Miss Rondel." His ears flick amusedly. "I'm probably... technically, one of the most... let's say legitimate members of the organization? I just don't really fit in with the ideas of law and order or individualism that... others might fancy."

    He swishes his tail a bit, and then looks to Yang. "And Miss Xiao Long, I'm guessing you're... well." He glances at the magitek armlets, and then back to the girl. "You a pugilist of some sort?" From somewhere, an axe materializes in a haze of blue aether sparks, dropping lightly in the catman's hands. He grips it, and wanders over towards the boulders.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang looks at N'raha and smirks. "I guess you could say that? I focus a lot on hand-to-hand combat, with a few surprises with my weapon here." she clanks the gauntlets together for emphasis, and adjusts the mechanisms with a shift of gesture. The slides widen, and ratchet back to about halfway down the forearm.

    "Also, drop the 'Miss' part. You're makin' me feel old. Call me Yang." she adds with a wink.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
Inga's response draws a curious eyebrow raise from Sanary. "Good seein' you, too! Sitting, though? Come on, you should join in, too! Ain't gonna get all... Atheletic if you're just sitting around." Raha, meanwhile, gets a somewhat more confused look. "Organiz...? Riiiight." She chuckles lightly, apparently thinking it really is just an athletic club meet and nothing more. Alas, the tone of said chuckle may suggest that she actually understands! "I getcha. Well, whatever gets you stronger and beefier, right? Just don't go too overboard or your neck'll get all swollen in the bad way."

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne has gotten one or two repetitions in with the quarter-ton boulders when Raha wanders over. "Evening." She says cheerfully to Raha. "Hey Yang, Dee." She keeps up with the reps, making sure to bleed enough weight over to her organic arm that it's actually useful and worthwhile weight training.

Otherwise she's mostly showing off. But not showing off too much.... yet!

N'raha Tia has posed:
    There's a grin from Raha, as he lightly twirls the axe, almost efortlessly, and then with one strong /sweep/ cleaves one of the medium sized boulders in half with the glowing weapon. There's... a palpable sense of familiarity to the motion, something like comfort passing over his face, before he turns to Yang, and rolls his neck, stretching out in a very... feline manner. "Right then. I guess we might as well get things started. Put on a show for the others?" A fangy smile, as his ears pin back.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang grins at Tiny. "Showin' off there, Tiny." she comments, then nods to Deelel, before gesturing off to a spot a bit more out of the way. "Wouldn't want to drag others into the middle of this... I tend to get a little too into a good fight." she mentions, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she looks at the catman. "And I can tell you're gonna be a good fight."

    Yang moves off from the group a ways, unclipping the flaps on her belt and tossing them aside, so they can't be used against her. She rolls up her sleeves, then cracks her knuckles before assuming a ready stance. "Ready when you are."

John Rizzo has posed:
     Unkempt, unhealthy, uncomfortable.

     In Rizzo's case, it's more that the sun hates him. And really, that's because of this whole curse kick. The sun in the Shrine might be fake--but it's still got Rizzo a little bit on edge. A little distracted. His thin frame appears on the verge of being unhealthily so, as if he hasn't been eating. A breathable polo shirt and basketball pants seem slightly too large for the pale redhead. This, and his perpetual stubble, make him seem rather unkempt. A tall, lanky man, the already haggard vampire seems here to be uncomfortable in his own skin. His eyes flick nervously about, expecting a burning reprisal from an unseen hand.

     The fire is fake, too, but he stands well clear of it, locked stiffly in place as if there were an invisible wall barring his path. He listens, hands in the pockets of his shorts. He sighs. "Gotta say, I'm not here to give anybody the broderick. Don't really like fighting. I'll show folks the ropes, but, Kohler, if you're gonna roll out the fireworks, keep 'em offa me. Keeping the Other Guy in bing's a full time job." He points to his head as he says that, hoping August understands what he means.

     With that precaution made... there are a few faces here he knows, but plenty of new folks. He gives Leyanne and Inga familiar nods, then introduces himself to the new folks. "John Rizzo, private dick," he says, giving a brief, curt wave. He'll give a handshake to anyone that wants one. They'll find his hand cold and clammy. He clears his throat and shares a little about himself with a blank expression. "I've been cursed by God, made into an unholy predator to serve penance for my sins." The vampire lists several benefits, using a finger for each. "I'm stronger, faster, tougher to kill, even psychic--" He taps his head one more.

     "But I go out into the real thing," he says, nodding backwards at the fake sun. "Or play with fire," says Rizzo with an uncomfortable glance towards the campfire, "I'll go up like a roman candle. There's another me... in my head. An animal, with my face. He's rattling the cup against the bars, every day, always, waiting for me to slip up so he can drive me off the track. Into eternal darkness."

     "So, should we start out with some stretches, or just dive right in?" He jerks a thumb towards the boulders, looking amongs the fellow assembled Watch members and 'athletic enthusiasts.'

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne grins and waves to John with her organic hand. Her cybernetic one continues to benchpress, apparently without noticing. "Rizla!" she says cheerfully. "How goes death?" It's not like she can ask him how life goes after all...

August Kohler has posed:
August grins as everyone arrives. He nods to Sanary, his 'special guest', as August steps over towards one of the small rock weights. It's heavy. Talking to Nova, he says. "Well, you once asked if I have powers in my human form."

August takes both hands, and moves to lift the heavy weight. It takes a second, but he lifts it over his head. It's a strength stronger than a normal person, though he seems a bit uncomfortable holding it up. "My Persona is /much/ stronger than I am, but I can do this now." August places the rock back down, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"I can also heal my own wounds now, like if I get cut it repairs itself, so that's all good now too." A glance to Rizzo, and a smile. "No fire, I promise. I didn't intend to use it. I have other things I want to try out." Though the full introduction gets a frown from August, he nods and accepts it. "Go ahead and dive right in, if you want. I'll be over there in a second."

There's a nod to N'raha and Yang. "Go ahead. I'm going to talk to Sanary for a minute."

August steps over to Sanary, standing next to her. "So, I wanted to talk to you about...well, important things. You're not in a faction, right? Have you considered joining one?"

Deelel has posed:
Deelel looks to Yang. "We need to throw down at some point Yang but you ahve fun with N'Raha. She also looks over to Sanary and give her a simple nod.

"That's about the long and the short of it."

She notes before looking to Leyanne.

"Hey Leyanne you want to throw down?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raha grins a bit, and then settles into a steady, even defensive stance. "Right then. Come on, Blondie. Let's rumble."
    The catman shifts and claps his hand to his chest twice, magical sparks flying as he does so, his body wreathing itself in defensive aethers. "Let's see if you can break me, then."
    Oh ho, he's a tank, then. Interesting.

Inga has posed:
Inga raises her brows toward Sanary, then looks down meaningfully at her walking stick. "Athletic is not exactly my thing. I enjoy watching however," she offers with a shrug. Not that she is opposed to exercise, but not...in front of so many people. If she wanted exercise she would go for a swim. She doubts August could arrange for a pond. No, she'll drink her tea and hopefully make conversation--not to mention learn more about the people to whom she is allied and what they are capable of.

Inga looks over toward Raha and his boulder cutting ax. "Oh, you'll cut boulders with it but not wood?" she teases, then looks toward Yang. Well, it looks as though they're likely to have a spar. Inga's lips purse slightly.

Another familiar face arrives and Inga's lips spread in a smile of greeting as she raises a hand. "A long time since I have seen you," she greets, then takes a sip of her tea.

Only to spit it out dramatically.

She'd forgotten how strange he talked, and her inner twelve year old almost giggles /every time/ he introduces himself.

Inga recovers after coughing lightly, and waves a hand in dismissal at anyone who looks her way in concern. "Worry not, I will not throw any fire around today. I am merely observing."

Nova Terra (6381) has posed:
    Nova gives nods to those she hasn't met yet, which is very few. However, the mention of Rizzo being a psychic does draw Nova's interest. She turns her head to look at the private eye, one of those she doesn't recognize. The mention of another 'him' inside his mind gets her a little curious.

    Nova eases up on her efforts to block out the thoughts of those here as she focuses her mind on Rizzo. Normally she wouldn't try to read the mind of someone who isn't her enemy, usually trying to respect people's privacy... But she's curious, plus also interested in seeing how good Rizzo's own abilities are.

    So Nova tries to take a peek into the undead's mind.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     That's new. Sanary lets out something that sounds almost like, but not quite a whistle when August shows off that he can even lift that heavy rock. "Dang, August. Good progess! Just don't get too nuts with it. You don't want to bust your bones just 'cause your muscles are better."

     Not like she's ever had that happen before. No. Not at all.

     Rizzo's explanation of his curse draws a furrowed brow from the axe-healer. "Sounds like they did you a favor, giving you all that power. I mean, aside from the burning thing. THat kinda sucks." She snickers a bit as well as she mulls over something, undoubtedly immature.

     Inga, meanwhile, gets an understanding nod. "Yeah, I see what you mean." She takes a moment to glance around slowly, sizing everyone up before turning back to August when he comes closer. "Eh? Uh... nah, no faction. Haven't really thought about it, though. I mean, the..."

     She pauses, then puts one arm over his shoulder to keep their talk hush-hush. "I don't think the Paladins would like me with the shit I've done. And the Concord's got that weird dragon lady." She grimaces uncomfortably, then strokes her chin. "... You working with 'em? Or that Watch group?"

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne sets down the boulder she's bench-pressing and stands, grinning to Dee. "Can do!" She says happily. "You feeling melee or ranged? I know those Discs you programs launch around are pretty impressive in both..."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang cocks her head curiously as the Miqo'te wreathes himself in defensive energies. She's seen similar before, and the similarity to her own Aura is enough for her. She then grins and says, "Alright, I won't be holding back though!" before her foot shifts, and craters the ground as she launches herself forward.

    The same action sees her throw her arms back and fire behind her, adding to the speed of her charge. A simple approach, direct and easy to predict, she comes straight in, and aims a haymaker straight for N'raha's center of mass.

August Kohler has posed:
August is more comfortable with personal contact now, so he doesn't even flinch as Sanary puts her arm around his shoulder. Keeping sort of quiet with her, "Well, I'm actually one of the leaders of the Watch. I thought you knew that?" He squints at her, slightly. It wasn't a secret! Though, keeping quiet, preferably so any secret Shrine sensors don't hear them, August continues. "I actually wanted to invite you to the Watch, formally."

August pulls out his phone, and opens up a website, with one hand. It's a youtube collection of the Watch doing things in different worlds. There's monster slaying, fights with militaries in there, superheroics, a clip of dragon-slaying Sanary might focus on, a bunch of stuff someone collected of 'what appears to be Watch activity'. "The Watch is a group based around doing what's right. Helping those in need, helping the little guy, even if that means getting extreme. When a tyrant has the people under his heel, the Watch steps in. When a monster slays villages, we kill it. And when a monster of a man gets away with his crimes under the pretense of the law...well, we step in for that, too. I know we had our disagreements." Cough cough. "But I think you have a spark, a potential, of being able to do good things. I mean, you tried to rob a bank for a...good reason?" If somewhat selfish, August thinks.

"And I think having a support structure like that would really help you be able to do bigger things. The Watch doesn't have a lot of money or resources, but we have information. We're tied into things. We learn things. And we have people willing to support each other, have their backs."

Though, August thinks about how he pitched the Watch. Maybe he needs to learn a little more. How to phrase it better. He purposely didn't mention justice. He doesn't know what that is, yet, and he's still reading to find out.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    There's a grin from Raha as he plants his feet... and then leans his shoulder into the blow. Like, straight up lets the hit land. There's a thundering smack of gauntlet on... wait, cloth? Yes, cloth. The impact hardens the sweater in an instant, and for a moment, it'll feel like Yang's punching a suit of armor or something. The catman's hiding something, it seems.
    That said, she's in close now, and the Warrior of Light smiles, and swings the haft of his axe straight down, trying to swat Yang into the 'dirt' in front of him. "HI."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel smirks "You'll just have to see." She'll back off from the main group and drop into a ready stance then makes the bring it on gesture.

"You know me just full of surprises."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang isn't really the most bright or cunning of fighters. She relies on her strength and getting in a good, heavy blow or two to stagger her opponent and keep them off balance. Someone who can take those hits has a clear advantage... and that's why N'raha's swat smacks Yang clean down into the dirt, sparking off a brilliant yellow-gold field that surrounds the young woman's body.

    The brawler doesn't stay down long though. She plants her hands, then sweeps her legs around to try and take the Miqo'te's stance out from under him, then sweeps herself up onto her feet with a twirling flip. "Not bad... but I don't believe for a second that sweater'd be able to take that kinda hit. What're you hiding?" she asks, still grinning as little motes of light start to rise from in her hair... as if someone had set a fire and it was just starting to make itself known.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
"... Is that what all the mask business is about?" Suddenly, things start to make sense to Sanary. She looks a little dumb-founded as everything clicks into the place, the coincidences start lining together, and the pitch for the faction starts coming right at her. As expected, the dragon-slaying clip gets more attention than anything, and she's rubbing her chin while nodding slowly by the time all the footage ends.

     "Sounds good... Hmm. Yeah, we've had... R-right. Yeah." She coughs lightly when he mentions robbing the bank for a good reason, taking a moment to just look off to the side.

     Clearly, she's just distracted by eye candy.

     "Support would be pretty helpful, yeah... I've managed a few things on my own, but having backup /would/ help a lot." She's definitely thinking about it. The pros are there, and the cons haven't really been vocalized yet.

     "... Does the Watch have any cool uniforms or emblems or whatever? Or is it more under the table so nobody knows where to find you?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The leg sweep does catch Raha in the shins, those jeans likewise clanking a bit, despite moving like cloth and not impeding him all that much. Hmmmmm.
    The kick manages to stump one of his legs into the air. Enough for him to yelp and plant the butt of his axe into the dirt to steady himself before he falls over. "HAH! WELL. I'm pretty sure you'll figure it out if you hit me a bit more, now won't you?" 'when'. He's expecting to get hit.
    He gets his foot back under himself, ankle smarting now, as he SWINGS again, a hard, cleaving blow aimed at Yang's middle let's see what you're made of, then.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne chuckles "Yeah but I need to know if I'm unpacking Ma or not." She nods over at the M2 that she's brought along for today.

That said, she loosens up a little, apparently ready to respond should Deelel decide to start the fight first.

John Rizzo has posed:
     "Can't complain," says Rizzo to Leyanne with a shrug. He gives the question a little more thought, and offers a sincere response."Back in the game. Keeping the lights on. Just trying to stay away from the eight ball, sister."

     August gets a grateful, weary smile in exchange for not using his fire. "Thanks, kid."

     He then turns to Inga, offering the same. "And thank you. Good to see ya again, Inga." He shoves his hands into his pockets, eyes falling slightly to observe the aftermath of his slang. The vampire clears his throat despite not needing to. "I might be, too--so, you might have company."

     His mind, to Nova's trained senses, is at first glance a scattered mess. It's as if someone broke a mirror and threw it into the sea, with fragmented thoughts all slowly sinking into unfathomable blackness. Each one is oddly clear, however, and rather than follow the usual stream-of-consciousness thought patterns, they seem almost like the passages of a book. Each one is 'narrated' in the first person, deliberately, yet there is almost never a full 'page.' Just snippets, afloat in an inky, smothering sea of guilt.

     'I felt trapped. Like if I took off the mask for a second, he'd know--'

     The gentle susurrus of the man's voice fades to a new thought. '...when I noticed her staring at me.' His steely gray eyes fix on Nova, and he nods. An image appears in her mind--a postcard upon a table, showing the Chicago skyline. 'Greetings, from the Windy City.'

August Kohler has posed:
August nods to Rizzo. All's cool. Sticking with Sanary, August shrugs. "I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to with Mask business, but you have to had heard me be called the Cloak of the Watch, right?" He's waiting to see if she remembers or had heard it, before continuing, pocketing his phone again. "No dress code. Wear what you want, be subtle if you want, flashy if you want. No uniforms or emblems to wear. Most people are secretive about their membership." The cons are...well, he alerady said little resources, and that's the only real con August thinks of, besides an important one. "Sometimes people disagree with each other and do what they think is right, but..."

Right. Huh. August might have just thought of something. He'll have to keep reading later. "In the end, we're all allies. If you want to join, lemme know and I'll make it official. Otherwise we can get back to training." He's going to give her some time, but if she wants to join now, well, he's not against it.

Inga has posed:
Inga gestures for John to join her if he wishes. She's currently perched on a tree stump she's managed to make look fairly comfortable, a hot pot of tea nearby. "Feel free then. Tea?" she asks. She can't recall if he imbibes anything besides blood. She doesn't (currently) have any animals conveniently stuffed into her pouch. But it is polite to ask either way. "I trust you have been well?" she asks. Is he Watch? She didn't know, but then, she was gone a while...and missed quite a bit.

Inga looks back toward the fight between N'raha and Yang, her brows furrowing. She looks a touch concerned. For the time being, she'll cheer him on. "That's the way, Raha!" she cheers, somewhat awkwardly.

Then her attention slips over toward August and Sanary, to see how things are going.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel looks at Leyanne for a moment waiting watching, it seems to be a showdown for a moment.

"So you wnat me to start it up? All right let's see how this goes then. Up close, would be the name of the game today, Leyanne."

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne nods in agreement with August's words. "I don't see eye-to-eye with Kohler very often." She admits. "But... kid's heart's in the right place. He's doing what he believes is the right thing to do for the poor common bastard in the street... something precious few folks think of here in the Multiverse it seems." She sniffs.

She nods to Deelel "Up close, eh? OK." She grins, adopting a side-on boxer's stance, leading with that wickedly fast left hand of hers.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang crosses her gauntlets, and plants her feet to absorb the axe swing. Golden light flares at the point of impact, before the axe strikes the metal of the gauntlets and the blonde skids aside from it a little ways, digging a pair of furrows from her feet bracing. The field flickers uncertainly for a few moments, before it returns to invisibility.

    "Alright then, warmup's over!" she says next, slamming her fists together.r
    The area around the woman craters under her feet, and a pulse of kinetic energy erupts around her. The ember-like motes begin to turn into flickering 'flames' within her hair as it billows out around her. "This is my Semblance." she explains, then leaps forward again. This time she doesn't come straight in, she waits until the very last second before firing her gauntlets to launch herself around to the side. She shifts her stance and launches into a rapid-fire flurry of punches into N'raha's side.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The catman is happy to see his strike blow, and even happier to see Yang spring right back up after it. There's a fire in his own eyes, as the axe comes around for another strike, the Miqo'te advancing on Yang, before she psyches herself up, pushes her OWN Inner Release button, and goes ham.
    There's a squawk from the Warrior as she ducks in under his guard and starts landing blows. One. Clang. Two. Clang. Three. Clang. Four-
    It's about then that the Warrior pulses with his own energy, each of those strikes hurting Yang with reflected energy as she hits him like that...
    And the glamour fades from his outfit. Where once there stood a Dad Cat with comfy clothing, now stands a true warrir, clad in gleaming red armor, the metal shimmering in a vaguely magical fasion. And that 'simple' axe flashes into a gloriously glowing Bravura, the bearded blade glowing.

    "...Hello." The greeting RATTLES the armor as he lets out a lion-roar, and takes a step forward, headbutting Yang with that mythrite helmet.

Nova Terra (6381) has posed:
    Nova tilts her head a little bit at the strangeness of Rizzo's thoughts. Admittedly she doesn't read the thoughts of undead very often, but she had expected them to be similar to a regular human. Given that's what Rizzo appeared to have been.

    But as she is suddenly presented with the thought of a postcard, Nova grins in response. She stops her probing, once more dulling the voices in her head as she turns to look towards August and Sanary.

    Nodding along with Leyanne, Nova adds her own thoughts to the recruitment, "The Watch is a good deal. A support network without all the bureaucracy keeping you from doing what needs to be done."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Cloak, mask, same difference." Sanary coughs lightly. Granted, the phrase is /cloak/ and dagger, not mask and dagger, but... Screw it, she's not the one on trial here!

     After fighting back a bit of irritation (mostly at herself), she closes her eye while mulling over August's words once more. "I'd get options, then... Hmm. Maybe even a cool mask.. Er. Cloak. Wait. Mask."

     She could rock a mask.

     "I get people not getting along about everything, at least. If everyone's trying to do the right thing and nobody thinks they're wrong..." She murmurs, then goes quiet. She starts recalling things. Things that happened long ago, things in her past, things she's been involved in, things she's seen on the sidelines. "You know... I used to get a lot of shit for doing things other people said were wrong. For doing 'evil' things to what me and the people I cared about want in the end."

     She starts doing squats to get the blood pumping, although her gaze goes a bit further around now that Nova, Inga, and Leyanne have turned their way as well. "So if I'm gonna be joining up with you guys, I have to know: Am I going to get set on fire if I have to smear somebody?"

John Rizzo has posed:
     John takes a seat beside Inga, lowering himself to the ground. "No thanks," he says. "Had a smell from the barrel before I rolled in." His fingers dig into the artificial grass. The dirt is fake, of course, but even with the looming anxiety that the fake sun above might become real, the sensation of touching something warmed by /a/ sun with his bare hands... after decades of having given it up, it's nice. "I was, ah... circling the drain there, for a while. Tried to lead someone into the light--ended up being a trip for biscuits. Made a big mistake, turned myself in. Tried to... end it." He swallows, as he admits that.

     "I'm better now."

     He gives Nova a curious look, craning his neck slightly. "You give the buzz to every psychic you meet, or just the strays?" he calls. Every so often, his attention wanders to the fighting, his expression changing to a resigned frown.

     "Y'know, I'd like it if we'd get it worked out so nobody needed to know how to fight. If there weren't any fights that needed fighting." He doesn't voice this opinion to anyone in particular. "But there are."

     Sanary in particular receives a message--a voice, in her head. She can tell, instinctively, that it isn't her own mind. ll do everything I can so nobody's gotta smear anybody.'

Deelel has posed:
Deelel has her ID disc in hand she doesn't power the edge, while there are safety systems here it's more a cultural sign of respect that this is a duel. Less than a second later she's moving in on Leyann close and trying to make several opening strikes with her disc, just trying to keep her larger foe off balance right from the get-go.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang just seems to get more pumped as her own strikes start to reflect back on her. Her hair begins to flare more brightly, right up until the armour manifests itself out of the cloth, and that helmet comes down to crack her in the face.

    Yang's Aura flares brightly, then continues to flicker occasionally as she staggers back from the blow. The roar earns one in return, the woman's Semblance turning her into a walking bonfire as her eyes turn red and her hair erupts in a golden flame. "Now this is getting interesting!" she says, her grin gone from a playful countenance to something almost sinister, a bloodthirsty expression as her baleful eyes lock onto her target, the catman in the red platemail.

    She spreads her stance, and with a flurry of punches, fires off explosive bolts from her gauntlets, each one visible as a packet of unstable light as it travels towards its target. Each one explodes with the force of a grenade on contact with any surface, though a sharp blade can cut through them.

August Kohler has posed:
August nods to Sanary as she considers all of this. He looks up towards the 'sun' as she continues, saying. "When you betrayed me, I thought I'd never trust you again. But look at us here and now. I'm trying to recruit you. Things change, don't they?"

Rizzo gets a sigh but a nod. "We fight because we have to. It's what some of us do in life. I fight for those who can't fight for themselves."

And then, August turns directly to Sanary and looks at her. "Sometimes we have to take a life. Not everyone will agree. But as leadership...if you have to take out a bunch of security guards or kill a crook, that's acceptable. I mean, my powers aren't really non-lethal. And...I'm no longer scared of killing. Sometimes, it's necessary."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The catman's face is vield, but those glowing red eyes of the Hunter might be matched by the angry red of Raha's own aetheric aura. "Hnnnnrrrrrraaaaaaaa." Words are getting harder as the Wrath overtakes him.
    More more more. The blows keep coming in, raging at him. He's used to magic, so the shotgun Dust bolts are familar, if a little unorthodox for him. A Machinist Monk. The idea will percolate a bit more once he can think straight. The catman's aura flares over though, and shifts from a defensive configuration to something decidely more deadly.
    Raha plants his feet, launching himself into Yang with a blast of aether, and tries to bulldog the girl into the ground with a lariat of his axe handle. "COME ON, LET'S GO."

Inga has posed:
When Inga sees the change in Yang, she knows Raha's will follow. ....And there it is. Inga heaves a sigh. This could be problematic.

Inga listens, glancing toward John, quietly trying to get the meaning from his words even though he seems to often speak a language she doesn't understand.

Tried to....end it. Inga swallows, looking away, her brow furrowed and the corners of her mouth turned downward in a frown. Pain in plain in her eyes. This she understands. "I..have been through very dark times as well," she replies to him quietly. After a moment, she turns her eyes back to his. "I am glad that you are doing better," she says sincerely.

Inga lets out a quiet sigh and reaches to refill her cup of tea. At the statement about not needing to fight, Inga smiles slightly. "That is an admirable ideal to work toward," she remarks, though such a world would leave a few feeling...less than satisfied. Some do so enjoy the fight. Inga sees nothing wrong with that, so long as its channeled in the right direction.

Inga's gaze turns back to Raha and Yang. Things are escalating quickly. The seer frowns and sets down her tea, reaching for her walking stick. "I believe I am going to have to step in, please excuse me a moment," she says to John, then leans on her stick to pull herself to her feet and begin walking slowly toward Raha and Yang.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "H-hey, I said I was sorry!" Sanary flinches a bit when August brings that up, then laughs it off with a nod. "But yeah... Yeah, they do. I used to completely blind, y'know."

     She demonstrates by tapping on her eye directly. She doesn't even flinch. Rizzo's brain message does have her glancing around a few times, though, but she doesn't seem to recognize who or where it's coming from.

     "Hmm... Alright, I'm fine with that. I won't just kill people for the hell of it, of course, but if it happens or if there's somethin' to be gained from it... Well." She shrugs, but keeps glancing around. She looks a little more nervous than before.

     Damn Shrine ghosts.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang shifts her gauntlets out of ranged mode as her target comes charging in. She braces for the charge and grabs onto the axehandle. Her feet dig furrows as she wrestles with N'raha, pitting strength against strength. "THAT ALL YOU GOT!? C'MON! MAKE ME FEEL IT!" she roars in Raha's face, digging in her stance and arresting the momentum. She then tries to push back, and even use her grip to throw the catman using his axe as a lever!

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne yelps and tries to lean back from the disc as Dee comes at her, although the Program is just too fast for the mouse. She manages to block a few of the attacks on her forearms, but a few get through, knocking the mouse back a step.

"Fast..." she mutters. "Why's it always the fast ones?"

She keeps on watching Deelel's pattern of movements, waiting for her opening. When she thinks she's got herself an opening, the mouse steps forward to try and deliver a haymaker punch with that wicked left fist of hers!

Nova Terra (6381) has posed:
    "Well, some types do explode into fire when you kill them. So you'll still have to keep an eye out for those. But no, we're not going to get on your case for that." Nova pauses, before adding, "Well, most of us won't. The rest you can just ignore." Nova grins at Sanary.

    As Rizzo questions her on her psychic probing, Nova simply shrugs, "I don't see too many psychics outside of my world. So I'm curious to see what they can do." She smirks, "Why? Afraid of the skeletons in your closet?" Though as Rizzo speaks of a time where nobody needed to know how to fight, Nova snorts, "Never going to happen. The choice to fight comes with free will. Can't have one without the other."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Strength versus strength is going to be a real challenge, isn't it? The two Watch members most fueled by combat, now toe to toe, hand to axe, and the area is starting to pay for it. Not that the Shrine can really be 'damaged', but the rocks and dirt start to furrow and rumble under the feet of the pair of combatants.
    Raha's visor pops up as he struggles with Yang, a battle mad happy... joyous look on the Miqo'te's face. He's in his very element right now and he's savoring this. "You AFRAID, BLONDIE? COME ON." Though...
    Neither of them is budging. Oh dear. Another crumple of the stones and dirt under the pair. This is getting... volatile.

Deelel has posed:
"Because if you go slow you die in the GAMES."

Deelel is not quite quick enough to avoid the punch she takes a very good hit, but she's able to roll a bit at it. She's thankful though that Leyanbne doesn't have integrated light emitters in her fists right now.

"You know how it goes right? My User didn't make me fight, I'm a bit of a strange one in that respect."

She notes before shifting about again and letting lose with a low kick trying to knock Leyanne off her feet and then strike her rapidly with her ID disc again.

"The ISOs have it worse though, like you species, or most other organic ones you are not born with a purpose."

John Rizzo has posed:
     "Close enough," says Rizzo to Nova, regarding his concerns. "Let's call it public safety." He clarifies with a telepathic message, sent exclusively to Nova. 'No skeletons--secrets. Dangerous ones. You dig?'

     "Sure thing, Inga." John nods. He stands up at his full height and stretches. "Go easy on 'em," he adds with a slight smile.

     "That was me, kid, relax," says Rizzo to the healer. "Just didn't wanna talk over Kohler. Think we've worked together already, just not side-by-side. I was the guy gettin' the wire on the superbug that rocked that ghost town. Exodus," he says, clarifying the precise name of the town. "One with the little gray men," adds the vampire, lowering a pale hand to knee height to illustrate.

     "As long as you're thinking long and hard about lettin' someone have it, you and me are hunky dory."

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne listens to Dee as she fights, bringing her left arm up to block the disc. It's a good hit, cracking the plastic. Leyanne's hand bends /really/ funkily to hook her pinky into the disk, giving the mouse a little bit of leverage to try and force it aside so that she can come in with a sharp clothesline, trying to put Deelel on her back.

Should that work, the 500lb mouse immediately follows it up with an elbow drop.

"Man, I'm glad that's not how games work where I'm from." Leyanne says. "Least I hope it's not. Losing wouldn't feel quite as... good if I knew I was killing some poor cunt on the other side of it, volunteer or not."

Inga has posed:
Inga continues walking toward Yang and Raha, her lips moving, voice unheard of the din of their battle. She pauses where she stands, closer, but not close enough to be at risk of getting hit by one of their blows. She raises her walking staff, pointing it toward Yang. Inga's voice rises as her incatation reaches it's climax and theirs a feeling in the air as if a large bell was just struck, though there is no sound. A glow would suddenly surround Yang as Inga's curse settles upon her, paralyzing her momentarily so that Inga can finish crossing the distance to N'raha.

See, Inga knows berserkers. Her people are famous for the wild warriors and their Odin-fury. They are an incredible asset in battle--but the problem is, you let them tire themselves to exhaustion, accepting the havoc they would wreak or someone had to bring them back.

"RAHA!" she calls as she walks up beside him, and when he turns toward her she reaches up and palms him in the forhead. It doesn't look like much from the outside. There's not much force in it, not compared to the kind of strength he and Yang possess. But for Raha? She tried to trigger the Echo, while also opening herself to her Sight. Where before he say red and fury, she drops his mind onto the shores of a windswept beach, a cold and rocky northern ocean where gulls call and the waves crash a soothing rhythmic sound. A strong memory. The smell of salt, the cold wind making cheeks red, stones hard beneath feet. A sensory experience usually brings someone back.

She hopes it works.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang snarls at Raha. "I'M AFRAID OF NOBOD---HRK!" Her body stops responding and the brawler drops like a stone as the paralysis curse overtakes her, bypassing the last dregs of her Aura. She just lays there, as her Semblance bleeds energy and she just kind of smoulders before the 'flames' finally die out and she just kinda lays there, looking tired.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    There's a yelp of noise from Raha as he turns to look at... whoever it is walking up on them and casting spells.
    He nearly raises a hand to swing at Inga, before he gets caught with pretty much the one thing that'll put him down stright out of the Odinsrage. A shot right to the Destiny. "Hng." The noise and fury and fire all go out of him at once, and he staggers back, loosing his footing and falling to his butt on the dirt. His armor flashes out of existance again, back to the dad-clothes they've been glamoured to.

    Everyone else will see him looking very blankly off into space.
    The catman, however, is on the shores of Courthas. The ocean waves splash against bare feet and shins, as the warrior just... drifts for a long moment or so.

Nova Terra (6381) has posed:
    'Of course. Those are the best kinds of secrets.' Nova replies to Rizzo, grinning. But she then says out loud, "Don't worry. I don't go deep unless I have a good reason to." Context, plz!?

    Nova turns to watch as Inga intercedes in the fight between Yang and N'Raha. She looks a little dispointed, "Should have just let them continue at it. Not like they're going to kill each other here."

Inga has posed:
Inga takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, looking down to Raha and then to Yang. When Yang's Aura has settled down, she releases the curse. Raha will come back out of the vision on his own soon enough. "I do apologize," she says to Yang. "I feared one of you would do something you would regret when you were not in the Odin-fury," she says, hoping Yang will not hold it against her.

Then Inga blinks and looks toward Nova. "What do you mean?" apparently Inga didn't get the memo about this place. She simply saw a spar that was getting out of hand, and two allies that might have done real harm to eachother and regretted it.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel says "There are games and then there are The GAMES."

Deelel notes for a moment the fight continues she's trying to feel out her far larger for at this point as the attacks keep coming. She gets hit and pretty badly forcing the basic back.

"I guess I shouldn't be going easy on you for being a User, should I?"

Deelel now moves to vault over Leyanne and give her a kick on the way by, hit or mess she'll land in a couch and then rise up with a grin on her face.

"I'm over here."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "Not Odinfury, or whatever... but yeah, I guess we were getting a little too into it." replies Yang after the paralysis is lifted. She remains laying, staring up into the virtual sky. "Nova's right though, this place works on some weird quantum tech... even if we broke bones, it'd reset us back to before that... it'd hurt like hell, but nothing would be permanent." she finally sits up, then looks over at Raha, and then the others.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne takes that kick square to the face, just as she's starting to get back up. She's pushed straight back down to the ground with a thud. "Motherfucker..." she mutters with a laugh, kicking herself back upright (with a little help from her tail). She turns to face Dee "Nice move." she says, before darting up to Deelel... and the sofa she's on.

And simply trying to throw them both away from herself!

The giant mouse and the Program illustrate exactly that point. Leyanne isn't exactly holding back; she knows how hard the Program hits, and can't give her any respite. She is also showing off a little bit; when you've got the strength to throw an occupieed couch around, and you're surrounded by friends, why not?

Everbody can always laugh about it if you get punished for being cocky.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raha's still out of it, honestly, but the catman just drifts slightly, slipping a bit to the side to rest against Inga's hip. That blank distant stare is still there, but he's slowly coming back into focus moment by moment.
    The eyes come all the way back, and he snort snuffles, sitting up straight, pink in his ears and cheeks. "Huh. Hrm. I guess I was getting carried away or something, I uh..." A glance from Yang to Inga and back again, and he sits on his knees, perhaps a little bit more contrite than he was coming into this. "Hey. You fight pretty good."

Inga has posed:
Inga's eyes widen slightly. "Truly?" she says, looking around. Then she groans. "Well, I'd have just let you exhaust yourselves if I'd known that! Ah well...I am sorry that I interrupted then," she says. "It was a good show," she adds, sheepishly.

When Raha's head bumps against her hip she looks startled, then snorts lightly. "Welcome back," she says. So it worked. Well good. She may have ruined a fight but at least she learned something.

Deelel has posed:
Deelel is having an interesting time here s she's caught up by Leyanne and just pounded really good. She's picked up and thrown really darn dar the force of the impact is what does most of the damage though Deelel this the ground and cries out. To her credit, she's back on her feet before Leyanne could pounce her. She then tosses her ID disc, wait where did it go? It bounces off several of the simulated trees and is aimed right for Leyanne's back.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne tries to watch the disc, but loses sight of it. She turns her attention back to Dee only to have the Disc come at her again, bringing her right - organic - arm up to block. This of course hurts quite a bit more than using her cybernetic arm to block, but it's better than taking it to the face like she did the kick.

She turns, her left arm whipping out to catch the ID disc and, spinning her forearm through a full 360 degrees, send it straight back to its owner!

Deelel has posed:
Deelel moves to catch the ID Dics but the attack and force of how she had to act.

"Not nice to do something like that Leyanne."

Deelel chides her friend and that's when she just is going to her nose Deelel launches the disc forcefully. Not once but four times then she catches is and she keeps going. It doesn't take long before she's on Leyanne and just letting loose with everything she has up close and Deelel is just being brutal here the intent is clearly to put Leyanne down right here and now.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne takes all four hits to the head in quick succession, planted quite firmly on her back. For a moment it looks like the mouse is out of the fight. She's certainly thinking about just staying down and taking it after that, but...

She shifts a little. "....ow..." she mutters, before kicking herself back to her feet and, with the last dregs of her strength, launching herself straight at Deelel, hoping to reach her before the disc can return and the Program can use it to block what's coming.

What's coming isn't pretty, or elegant, in terms of style. But it does make use of one thing the mouse has plenty of. Mass. She launches herself into the air and brings both feet together, revealing exactly why Leyanne wears high heels; they're for drop-kicks like this one.

When the mouse hits the ground, hit or miss, she stays still for several seconds.

"...I'm done, Dee. How 'bout you?"

Deelel has posed:
It's been a good fight a very close fight but Leyanne has a heck of a lot of power here and that's where she wins out. She just launches herself up, Deelel has found high heels are a strange and alien thing that makes no sense to her. Save for the one thing Leyanne has done with them, are they all concealed weapons? Such thoughts are lost as WHAM Deelel is hit hard and floored she looks up croaking a bit.

"I'm done, good game."

It was a good workout though she might need a hand getting up.

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne nodnods, slowly - very slowly - hauling herself to her feet. She walks over and holds her hand out to help Dee up. "Good game, yeah. You nearly got me... where'd that last hit come from, what was that all about?" The poor mouse has no idea she's broken a taboo

Deelel has posed:
Deelel accepts the hand up and gets to her feet, she'll secure her disc on her back now shaking her head a bit "When your spend from your view a decade in a fighting arena you learn how to fight or get cubed." She notes tilgin her head "So want to get something to eat?"

Leyanne Mace has posed:
Leyanne nods as she listens "Fair, yeah." She says, with a sniff. "Sounds like a plan."